


How to Win at Book Club

by scintilla10



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: F/F, Femslash, book clubs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-18
Updated: 2014-10-18
Packaged: 2018-02-21 14:37:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2471852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scintilla10/pseuds/scintilla10
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The next sentence bubbled out of Amy before she could even think about stopping it: "So you're saying you don't think I could read <i>Pride and Prejudice</i>?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	How to Win at Book Club

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aphrodite_mine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aphrodite_mine/gifts).



> In episode 1.20, we find out that Rosa belongs to a book club, and I immediately wanted to know everything about it. This story really only scratches the surface. 
> 
> Enormous thanks to A for the beta. <33333

It had been a particularly terrible day, even for a Monday. Their case had involved a leaky keg of beer, a recently condemned brownstone, a horde of college freshman, vuvuzelas, and (inexplicably) a single octopus tentacle. So when they finally got back to the station and cleaned up, Amy offered to take Rosa for a drink.

"Can't," Rosa said, stapling their report together with extra emphasis. 

"Just one?" Amy wheedled. 

"I have to finish the book for my book club."

Amy paused. "I think all the vuvuzelas messed up my hearing," she said. "Did you say book club?"

"Your hearing's fine," Rosa said, giving her a funny look. "Yeah, I'm in a book club. So?"

"Nothing!" Amy said quickly. "Nothing! I'm just -- I never realized you were in a book club." 

She didn't know much about Rosa's personal life which, she had to admit, did sting sometimes. She didn't want to take it personally, but she and Rosa were colleagues (definitely) and friends (sort of). And possibly, in the future, more than friends (though that part was only in Amy's head). 

The point was that they had each other's backs, and it seemed kind of depressing that she hadn't even known that Rosa liked to read books.

Rosa still wasn't saying anything, and she was shrugging her leather jacket over her shoulders and getting her keys out of her desk drawer, so Amy said, quickly, "Well, what book are you reading?"

" _Pride and Prejudice_ ," Rosa said.

" _Pride and Prejudice_?" 

"Yeah. You read it?"

"Uh," Amy said, abruptly chagrined. "No, actually." 

"So far it's pretty good," Rosa said.

Amy couldn't figure out what to say in response to such a glowing literary review. Rosa said, her voice almost as slow and emotionless as Captain Holt's (Amy was so jealous of Rosa's ability to emulate him): "What, you think I don't read classic books of literature, Santiago?" 

"No, no," Amy protested. "Of course you do! I always imagined you reading, like … " She floundered. God. She was the worst friend. What kind of books _did_ she think Rosa read?

" _Guns and Ammo_ ," Gina put in, sidling up behind them and leaning with a faux-casual air against the desk. Amy couldn't believe how often Gina managed to sneak up on people whose professional lives involved taking careful and detailed stock of their surroundings. She gave Gina a look that she hoped conveyed her complete disapproval, both for her sneakiness and her intrusion on their private conversation. Gina winked back at her. Amy was pretty sure that meant her message had not been fully received.

"I gave up my subscription to _Guns and Ammo_ last year," Rosa said, though her eye twitched just a little. Amy grinned at her.

"I started a book club once," Gina commented lazily. "We read each other the lyrics of all of Madonna's albums. I will _never_ reach such intellectual stimulation again in my lifetime."

"Yeah, well, we just read books," Rosa said.

"Like _Pride and Prejudice_ ," Amy couldn't help herself saying. "That sounds kinda fun, actually."

"Yep. Now can you get out of my way? I'd like to get home and take a real shower. I think there's octopus juice in my hair."

The next sentence bubbled out of Amy before she could even think about stopping it: "So you're saying you don't think I could read _Pride and Prejudice_?"

"Oooooh," Gina said.

Rosa scowled. "I did not say that."

"If I wanted to, I bet I could read _Pride and Prejudice_ in one night."

Rosa gave her a look. "Uh-huh," she said.

"I mean, I could totally read _Pride and Prejudice_ for tomorrow night, if that's what you're thinking."

"Nobody was thinking that," Gina said.

Amy ignored her. This was totally a challenge now, and Amy Santiago _never_ backed down from a challenge. "I'm amazing at book club discussions," she said. "I led a study group for four semesters in college. I was so good my study group begged me not to graduate so I could keep leading the group."

"Santiago," Rosa said. Her voice was deep and firm in a way that sent a little shiver down Amy's spine. "Just in case you were thinking this -- the captain doesn't know about my book club."

Well, now that Rosa mentioned it, belonging to the sort of book club that read things like _Pride and Prejudice_ was probably the sort of thing the captain would approve of. But --

"I wasn't thinking that!" Amy protested, which was actually true. Besides, she was committed to helping the Rosa-and-Amy bud of friendship bloom into a beautiful flower.

She might have said that last thing out loud, because Rosa groaned, "Don't say things like that _ever_ ," just as Gina said, "Oh my god, say that again so I can record it for the station's voicemail message."

Rosa levelled Gina with a glare, but said, "Fine. Santiago, do you want to come to my book club? Amir cancelled at the last minute, which is the only reason I'm inviting you." Amy was nodding even before Rosa added, "And you have to bring brownies."

"Yes!" Amy refrained from doing a victory dance, just in case Rosa decided to rescind the invitation. "I mean, yes, thank you. Is it at your place?"

"No," Rosa said repressively. "Meet me here after our shift ends."

Amy was a little disappointed she wouldn't get to see Rosa's apartment, but still. Baby steps. "Don't worry, I'll read the whole book before tomorrow night and totally win book club."

"Thanks for the invite, Rosa," Gina put in. "I haven't read the book, but I _am_ a connoisseur of Keira Knightley's oeuvre of cinematic masterpieces, and thus I live in a state of preparation for winning Jane Austen book clubs." 

Rosa glared at both of them. "Fine. You can both come. But there's no winning or losing. And you both have to bring brownies and alcohol."

Amy nodded enthusiastically. Rosa had invited her to something, almost entirely voluntarily! This was definitely movement towards them being more than just sort-of-friends. And maybe, eventually, if she was lucky, more than friends.

Also, Amy was fan-freaking-tastic at reading and discussing things. She was definitely going to win book club.

~~~

She finished the book by 2:30 in the morning, but she was up until 5 preparing everything. She was determined to prove how seriously she was taking book club. Of course when her biggest competition was Gina, who was currently creating paperclip figurines of Elizabeth and Mr Darcy, it was hard not to get overconfident. Still, it took three cups of coffee and a lemon poppyseed muffin for her to feel like a human being that morning, but it was worth it for the look on Rosa's face when Amy showed her the binder she'd spent half the night creating.

"It's color-coded," she explained. "And organized by theme and character." She flipped it open to show Rosa the page on George Wickham. "I drew the Bennet family tree in the introductory part, too. And I included a brief biography of Jane Austen's life, but I thought someone else might have that covered, so I kept it to two pages, single-spaced. I didn't want to step on anyone's toes."

"Oh my god," Rosa said.

"What?" Amy said anxiously. "Do you think it's not enough? I made brownies, and I'm totally going to pick up beer on my lunch!" She paused. "Wait, is beer not classy enough for Jane Austen? Maybe I should get wine. Does your book club drink wine? Or whiskey?"

"You made the brownies yourself?" Rosa said, making a face. "Santiago, come on! I don't want to kill my book club!"

"Okay, fine, I lied," Amy said. "I bought them at the bakery, pulled all the paper things off the bottoms, and repacked them in a tupperware, so it would look like I made them. But you don't have to tell them that!"

"Okay, let's go to the roof," Rosa said, and gripped Amy's arm to drag her out of the bullpen.

There was an autumn chill in the air once they came out onto the roof. Amy kind of wanted to do up the buttons on her jacket, but Rosa still had her hand wrapped around Amy's wrist, and Amy didn't really want her to let go.

"What is all this," Rosa demanded, holding up the binder with her other hand.

"What?" Amy said. "I told you I'm good at leading discussions!"

"This is practically a book."

"Oh, well, I don't know," Amy said. "The quality would need to be improved for publication --"

"Santiago. Stop."

Amy stopped.

"I'm getting the impression that you want to do non-work things together. Like -- friends."

Rosa's fingers felt hot against the skin on the inside of Amy's wrist. "Yeah," she said firmly.

"Or maybe not as friends?" Rosa said. Her face was expressionless.

Amy's throat went dry. "Yeah," she managed.

Rosa's mouth curled up at the edge. "Okay, then," she said.

"Really?"

"Really," Rosa said. "This is the one and only time I will be wooed by Jane Austen."

She tugged a little on Amy's wrist, until they were standing right in front of each other, alone on the rooftop. Amy didn't feel cold at all anymore.

"I think the vuvuzelas messed up my hearing," Amy said. "Did you say you'd been wooed?"

"Shut up, Santiago," Rosa said, her mouth twitching into a smile, and she kissed her. 

~~~

Even though Rosa didn't let her bring her binder to book club, and even though their discussion of _Pride and Prejudice_ got thoroughly derailed by Gina's interpretive dancing, and even though she only got to see Rosa's apartment in the dark, Amy was sure of one thing: she totally, _totally_ won book club.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic] How to Win at Book Club](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9114277) by [fire_juggler](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fire_juggler/pseuds/fire_juggler)




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